Gravity Beam Design

Web opening geometry, stiffener design and analysis results are reported in the WEB OPENINGS section of the Gravity Beam Design report (available through the Process > View/Update command or Reports > Beam Design command in RAM Steel Beam).

In the Stiffener information, Sides indicates the number of sides of the beam web at which stiffeners are to be placed:

0 indicates no stiffeners,
1 indicates stiffeners on one side of web only, and
2 indicates stiffeners on both sides of web.

The weld size is listed and is assumed to be continuous on both sides of the stiffener plate for the full length.

Additional design requirements are also shown for ASD and LRFD design, including the minimum radii of the corners of rectangular openings, minimum slab reinforcement in the vicinity of the opening, and minimum stud requirements in the vicinity of the opening.

Design Warnings, if any, are listed for each opening. "Fail" is indicated for those conditions for which the opening or stiffener is unacceptable.

A listing of Multipliers for effects of Web Openings has also been added to the DEFLECTIONS section of that report. For ASD and LRFD those factors will always be 1.00, indicating that no modifications were made to the deflections to account for the effects of the openings. For BS 5950 and Eurocode, the value will indicate the multiplier by which the deflections have been increased for the given condition.

Eurocode web opening designs permit "Closely Spaced" and "Widely Spaced" openings. The classification of these openings is specified in SCI P355. In addition to the Vierendeel check for openings, SCI P355 web post requirements for Horizontal Shear, Buckling, and Bending are considered by the program for Eurocode for all internal posts. The Left and Right end posts are only checked for Horizontal Shear. You must consider the effects Buckling and Bending given the connection types assumed for the end posts.